Shillong: Meghalaya Congress leader Manuel Badwar on Thursday announced that the party has resubmitted its petition to the Speaker challenging the defection of three MLAs, arguing that their actions violated constitutional provisions.
Badwar told reporters that they had to file the petition anew because the previous petitioner, Ronnie V. Lyngdoh, had left the Congress.
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He explained, “Since Ronnie left the party, the earlier petition became invalid, forcing us to start over. This new petition also includes his defection.”
He accused the MLAs of failing to meet the anti-defection law’s two-thirds threshold. “Two MLAs defected first, and the third followed only 48 hours later.
That clearly does not amount to 66 percent, which the law requires. This violates the Constitution, and we cannot allow such actions to go unchallenged,” Badwar asserted.
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Stressing that the petition serves democratic values rather than party interests, Badwar said, “We act not for Congress but for the public, for the Constitution, and for the voters. Our MLAs should not deceive the people.”
When asked about the consequences if the Speaker dismisses the petition, Badwar expressed confidence in their case.
“We do not expect the Speaker to rule against this appeal, but if that happens, we will approach the High Court,” he stated.
As the current petitioner, Badwar affirmed the Congress’s commitment to pursue the case fully. “Democracy faces a threat, and we must demonstrate that the Constitution prevails,” he concluded.